Sen. Husted Introduces Bill Requiring Age Verification for AI Chatbots
Summary
Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) has introduced the CHAT Act (S. 2714), which would require AI chatbots to implement age verification measures and establish certain protections for minor users. Specifically, the bill would direct a “covered entity” (defined as “any person that owns, operates, or otherwise makes available a companion AI chatbot to individuals in the United States”) to require individuals accessing a chatbot to make a user account and provide verifiable age information. If a user is a minor, the covered entity must (1) require the account to be affiliated with a parental account, (2) obtain verifiable parental consent for the minor to access and use the companion AI chatbot, (3) inform the holder of the parental account of any interaction involving suicidal ideation and (4) block the minor’s access to any companion AI chatbot that engages in sexually explicit communication.
